Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 11-6-20

Feature
As The Nation Holds Its Breath For National Election Results, Longtime Voters Express Concerns About Overall Outcome
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
For many Americans, 2020 has been a year of reck- oning and heartbreak. COVID- 19 has devastated families with no end in sight. The deaths of young Black Ameri- cans such as Breonna Tay- lor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and nu- merous others have driven months of protest against racism and police brutality. Americans, especially Black Americans, are challenged and denied by authorities meant to protect them. For most, this may be the most important election in our lives.
We spoke to some of our neighbors that have been through many different elec- tions and got their gut feelings on Election Day 2020.
TERREZ TAYLOR Retired, grandmother of two
“I am nervously optimistic about the presidential elec- tion. I am praying that Amer- ica is who we think she is, that there are more decent and principled people than not. I believe that this is an election for good vs. bad. I think that the only way someone could vote for Trump is if they are greedy, ignorant, or racist.
People that claim that they are doing better under Trump need to understand that any- thing can happen with the stock market. They aren’t safe.
"Trump has played to cer- tain segments of society and allowed them to think that they have power. He encour- ages them with their big trucks and big guns, but they are not savvy enough to realize that he is not doing anything for them. I hope the young people have awakened.
“In 2016, young people did not realize how dangerous he was. Black Lives Matter really woke up young people and made them realize that they still have a responsibility. Many young people were not listening when we told them how hardly fought the right to vote was. Now they see that they are instrumental and how much those sacrifices meant.”
JAMES RANSOM Retired County Employee, TOBA Board member and chair of Saturday Morning Breakfast Group
“I feel a sense of obligation covering our country right now. Personally, this election feels like the most important decision and responsibility we have right now. To exercise our right to vote, with the par- ticular experience that we have
had over the past four years, is example of why it is so impor- tant to participate in the process of understanding gov- ernment and how civics works, how it affects where and how you are born and live, and when and where you die. It af- fects your entire life. I do not take the election for any office lightly. Judges and amend- ments are just as important and should be carefully re- viewed. It is important to vote in both national and local gov- ernment elections as it will de- termine our lives for the next four years.
“This election affects our prosperity and our quality of life. We should not take this for granted. This is one situa- tion where we can make a dif- ference as Black people if we take care of our own socio-eco- nomic interests. Supporting our business and uplifting our community gives us leverage politically. We should be get- ting commitments from candi- dates for our special interests and holding them account- able, especially locally where there are not equal services. We must vote for our inter- ests.”
WILLA PETERSON Retired Media Specialist, Grandmother, Health Coach
“I believe Donald Trump has not been good for Amer- ica. I believe that his back- ground allowed him to look successful, but in truth he was not successful at all. I am still amazed that anybody with in- tegrity or morals would have voted for him, much less vote for him again in 2020. I be- lieve that he has reverted and corrupted everything gained in the Civil Rights movement. I cannot believe that anyone born from a woman of color would support him given the disrespect for our race. There has not been one day during Trump’s presidency where there has not been some sort of discord. Further, he has en- couraged illegal tactics of voter intimidation with trucks, guns, and threats.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are a dynamic duo, who are equipped to restore hope and bring unity to all of us here in the United States
and globally. I pray that as people entered the polls, they realized that unless they voted for Biden, the America we know will be done.”
FRED ROBINSON Senior Tech Executive
“The 2020 election has been truly eye-opening as a Black man. I realize at sixty- something years old that the more things change the more they stay the same. The un- dercover racism and selfish- ness that we see has become overt and blatant. Trump has legitimized these feelings. I think that has been one of the true challenges. I would never think that someone must vote like me. Everybody has the right to vote for whoever they want. But as I listen to people that are voting for Trump, I do not understand how they could use reason and come to that vote. I do not understand how people who are not of the broader culture could think that they are truly included. I understand those who are privileged and want to remain that way, but I do not under- stand brothers and sisters that think that the present admin- istration will do anything for them.
“I am really encouraged by young people from all cultures that have embraced the idea of freedom and justice for all. One of the things that has al- ways been said that in a lot of ways integration hurt us. But the other side of that is that other cultures got to know my sons and their generation as human beings. It is changing. They were marching for BLM in Australia. That is not some- thing we have seen. The take- away for me is that this vote is a vote for our lives and the
lives of our children.”
BONNIE CARR Retired CPA
“On this day of the elec- tion, I personally feel a lot of anxiety. It has been building, and today is the day. I have been calling and working with a local woman’s organization to ensure that people got to the polls and got to vote. I feel that the last four years have been one long campaign. I am gen- uinely concerned that this be a fair election. I thought that we, as people of color, would be steadily increasing in our un- derstanding the value and sig- nificance of voting. Hearing that we are still struggling to get some people to the polls is not where I thought we would be.
“The passing of John Lewis reminds us that we should not give up. There is a possibility that we could wake up tomorrow and not recog- nize our own country. Grow- ing up in Chicago, I am familiar with the concept of voting for the lesser of two evils. This time we had to draft a man that had pretty much retired from public life to lead us and it is discourag- ing. But we had to get some- one to stand up to the current administration. Now we have the incumbent harassing vot- ers instead of touting his record. I am really concerned how this plays into racial jus- tice. We have not made enough progress and I am dis- appointed that this is not one of the biggest topics in the election. There isn’t enough discussion about the concerns of the Black community. As a feminist in a country where many households are headed by women, I am not hearing many female voices and that concerns me.”
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020